"It's time for jammies!" I call out to the kids. We start this process at 7:45 so we hopefully have time to get the kids in bed by 8:30. We have this down to a good routine....it's almost a science at our home, really. Routines are good for kids. It's jammies first, followed by a bedtime treat, followed by bathroom, followed by teeth-brushin', followed by drinks of water, followed by stories. Then we get them into bed. And this is just about my most favorite 5-10 minutes of any given day - these few precious minutes we spend together as we're tucking them in.
This little chunk of time isn't quite as structured as the minutes leading up to the tuck-in, but, it always consists of some conversation about the day, singing a couple of songs, saying a prayer and sharing some loves and kisses. I can't remember when or how exactly we started the gratefulness discussions each night - there was just one night where I just asked the kids what they were grateful for, and anything especially from that day that they were thankful for. And...this has just really stuck - the kids really open up and share, and sometimes really amaze me with the things they say they're thankful for. Of course there are the nights where we're thankful for bunk beds....but that's okay. Bunk beds are fun....I always wanted bunk beds as a kid. Unfortunately for me that dream never came to pass - the closest I got was spending the night at the Sullins' home and getting to sleep in theirs. :)
Last night, I knelt down beside Gabe's bed, and his sweet little 3-year old voice asked me "Mommy what are you thankful for today?" Insert Mommy heart-melty moment right here. My goal with talking about gratefulness as often as we do is to just be able to cultivate grateful and generous hearts in my children, for them to be grateful for every little thing, every day. It just did my heart so much good for Gabe to ask me about it last night. At this point, it may still just be chalked up to the fact that it's part of our little routine. Or, one might call it a habit. My hope and prayer is that yes it will always be routine for them to be grateful...but that it will feel to them like anything but "just a habit." The world is a beautiful place when viewed through grateful eyes.
Father God - Please help me to always be grateful, and for that grateful spirit to invade all my thoughts so I will be generous and live my life as if there is plenty to share. Let this lead to freely giving of my time and resources where they're needed. And please, let this spirit and (hopefully) example cultivate grateful hearts in my children. Help us all to be grateful. Amen.
